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So here is a bit of local sports news and I just happen to have a picture of the two of them together. BJ Penn is going to guest star on Hawaii 5-0 and Orlando Duque is recovering following his third surgery.

I was reading BJ Penn’s first blog post on the Bleacher Report since he lost his last fight to Nate Diaz and one of the things that he revealed is that he landed a guest spot on “Hawaii 5-0”.

…I have been back in Hawaii for a while now, but I haven’t been doing much as far as athletics go. This is partly because I think I sprained my finger or something, so because of that I have just been kind of laying low and enjoying life…

…As I am working on this piece, I am on my way to Oahu. I was given a part in an episode of the hit TV Show, Hawaii 5.0, and I will be filming for the next few days on set. It’s really good timing to be out in Oahu because the president of RVCA, Pat Tenore, and his whole family have taken a vacation this week out there, so when I’m not filming I plan on going and hanging out with them…

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi will read a proclamation on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 10:30 am at the Mo’oheau Bandstand in Hilo declaring December as Think Local, Buy Local month.

The mayor will be joined by Randy Kurohara, director of the Department of Research and Development, Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, Hawai‘i Alliance for a Local Economy and local business owners. The event is free and open to the public—light refreshments and entertainment to follow the reading of the declaration.

The Hawai‘i Alliance for a Local Economy (HALE) under the auspices of Sustain Hawai‘i is working under contract with the county Department of Research and Development to develop and launch a pilot public education initiative which highlights how purchasing locally made and grown products and shopping at locally owned businesses can benefit the community, environment and economy of Hawai‘i Island.

The Think Local, Buy Local initiative is being launched in downtown Hilo in partnership with the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association and 40 locally owned businesses. Participating Hilo businesses are displaying Think Local, Buy Local window signs and highlighting Made on Hawai‘i Island products. A cornerstone of the initiative is the Black and White Night/Think Local, Buy Local button which offers Hawai‘i Island residents discounts at participating locally owned businesses throughout the holiday season. Buttons are $5 and are available at the Hilo Information Center at the Mo’oheau Bus Station, Palace Theatre, Diabolik Surf and Glass and Basically Books.

Think Local, Buy Local is launching in downtown Hilo and expanding island-wide. Instead of a discount button, businesses outside of the downtown Hilo area will be offering coupons online at www.ThinkLocalBuyLocal.org to incentivize residents to think and buy local this holiday season.

A 2010 national report on “buy local” campaigns found that communities with an active “buy local” campaign experienced markedly stronger revenue growth compared to communities without such a campaign and independent retailers in “buy local” communities saw a 5.2 percent increase in holiday sales, while those elsewhere reported an average gain of less than 1 percent. During the holiday season, the Think Local, Buy Local campaign will be focusing attention on Hawai‘i Island grown and made products and locally owned businesses.

“Local businesses have always been the backbone of our economy,” said Mayor Kenoi. “During these challenging economic times, a renewed focus on products and food produced on Hawai‘i Island and on island-owned businesses is good for our economy and our community.”

Prizes will not only go to float winners, but also to the Pahoa business with the best decorated wreath.
Mainstreet Pahoa Association has initiated an adopt-a-wreath program to try and get Pahoa businesses into the spirit to decorate for the holiday season.

Meanwhile, the annual Pahoa High and Intermediate School Ho‘olaulea will follow the Dec. 3 parade. Keiki who would like their photos with Santa will be able to do so at the Pahoa High and Intermediate School Ho‘olaulea.

The Hawaiʻi Police Department is reminding the public about a county law that limits the use of cell phones while driving.

County Ordinance 09-82A makes it illegal to use a cell phone or other mobile electronic device while driving—except with a hands-free mechanism. The ordinance took effect nearly two years ago, on January 1, 2010.

The ban includes but is not limited to:

cell phones.

text messaging devices.

paging devices.

personal digital assistants.

laptop computers.

video games.

digital cameras.

The fine for violating the ordinance starts at $97 and can go up to as much as $500 if the use of a mobile electronic device causes a collision.

Between January 1, 2010, and November 22, 2011, police issued 1,959 citations for use of a mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle and 38 for causing an accident while using such a device.

Chief Harry S. Kubojiri said officers continue to make enforcement of this ordinance as high a priority as enforcement of other serious traffic laws. “It is designed to reduce driver distraction and make our roadways safer,” Kubojiri said. “Texting or holding a cell phone while talking can lead to tragic consequences for innocent motorists and pedestrians, as well as for the offending driver.”

The law does not apply to:

emergency responders using a mobile electronic device in the performance of their job.
drivers using two-way radios for work-related duties.
drivers holding a valid amateur radio operator license issued by the FCC and using half-duplex two-way radio.

It does not include audio equipment or equipment installed in a vehicle to provide navigation or emergency assistance to the driver, or video entertainment for back-seat passengers.

According to the ordinance, the use of a cell phone to make an emergency 911 call shall be an “affirmative defense.” That means it is not illegal to make a 911 call on a cell phone but a driver who claims to have been doing so might still be cited and have to prove that a legitimate 911 call was made.

The most recent edition of the Crime Stoppers television program “Hawaiʻi Island’s Most Wanted” highlights a 46-year-old man wanted for a violent crime in Puna last year, and two men who have since been arrested.

The new episode begins airing Friday, November 25.

Rexford Milo

In it, police ask for the public’s help in locating 46-year-old Rexford Milo, who is wanted for threatening a 64-year-old Leilani Estates man with a shotgun, knocking him to the ground, tying him up, stealing cash, identification and credit cards and then driving off in the victim’s pickup truck. Milo is described as Caucasian, 5-foot-10, 145 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes. He may be in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates area. Please do not approach Milo, as he may be armed and dangerous.

Police ask that anyone with information about Milo’s whereabouts call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential. Crime Stoppers does not tape record phone calls or subscribe to caller ID.

In the latest episode of the television program, which was prerecorded, Officer Patrick Menino also asks for help in locating 19-year-old Stetson Kaholo of Hilo and 30-year-old Matthew Keoni Tilfas of Pāhoa. Both men have been located since the program was taped.

“Hawaiʻi Island’s Most Wanted” is a project of Crime Stoppers Hilo, Inc., which is a partnership of the business community, the media and the police. It was inspired by the national TV show, “America’s Most Wanted.” The program airs on Na Leo O Hawaii Community Television Channel 54 on Sundays at 5 p.m. and Fridays at 5:30 p.m. It also airs intermittently on Channel 53.

The Hawai’i County Motor Vehicle Registration office advises residents that the recently mailed December 2011 vehicle registration renewal notice contains an incorrect total due amount. The renewal notices, mailed on November 18, did not include the current increase in State of Hawai’i weight tax and registration fee because of a statewide computer programming error.

Corrected registration renewal notices will be mailed with the words “CORRECTED MOTOR VEHICLE RENEWAL” appearing above the mailing address. Residents are asked to wait for the corrected mailing prior to sending their payment or renew their vehicle registration online at https://mvr.ehawaii.gov/, or pay at the nearest Motor Vehicle Registration office located in Hilo , Kona or Pahoa.

The correct total due amount is reflected online and at the Motor Vehicle Registration offices. If the applicant returns the renewal with an incorrect payment amount, the renewal will be rejected for the correct amount. Vehicle registration renewals are due December 31, 2011.

Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division Manager, Lee Lord apologizes for the inconvenience and adds that the state reports: “steps have been implemented to prevent a reoccurrence.”

For more information, call the Motor Vehicle Registration office at (808) 961-8351